Elevator structure for boats



y 31, 1932- N. FAY ET AL ELEVATOR STRUCTURE FOR BOATS Filed Sept. 15,1931 2 Sheets-Sheet INVENTORS Nabmn Fag 6 ZVIJL' L'I2 44.1 BY

ATTORNEY 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 N. FAY ET AL ELEVATOR STRUCTURE FOR BOATSFiled Sept. 15, 1951 nth May 31, 1932.

INVENTORS 9 If '7 y ATTQRNEY Nahum Fa,

L'IJA-F Nora @k gm V UNITED} sTA Patented May 31, 1932 (BET NAHUM FAYAND nosvin A. FAY, or SACRAMENTO, camroanm ELEVATOR srrworuan roa Bears7 Application filed September 15, 1931. Serial No. 562,908;

This invention relates to cargo or freight carrying vessels andespecially to vessels of the flush deck and low free board type, whetherself propelled or towed such as are extensively used in river service.

The freightin Vessels of this character is carried on the main deck, aportion of which when the vessel is tiedup at awharf or pier isconnected with the wharf by the gangway so that the cargo can be loadedor unloaded with the aid of hand or power trucks.

Such vessels are sometimes used in service between river and sea ports.The river wharves are built to accommodate the needs of river vessels,but the wharves at sea ports.

' the necessary traction, or the freight must be handled with derricksand slings.

The principal object of our invention is to provide an elevatorstructure adapted to be permanently mounted on the vessel at aconvenient point in its length, and so arranged that the freight'ascarried on to or off the elevator-from the vessel may be readily raisedto the level of the gangway when the latter is disposed on a level or atan easy slant. In

" this manner the handling of the freight is greatly facilitated and theheight of, the wharf from the deck of the vessel or the rise and fall ofthe tidedonot interfere in any way with this facility of handling.

We also preferably provide a separate pair of elevators, each operableindependently'of the other and disposed toward the opposite sides of thevessel, sothat the latter may tie up with either side against the wharf.We

have also arranged the elevators so that the idle one does not interferewith the freedom of movement of the freight handlers using the otherone, nordo the elevators and their supporting structureinterfere withthe neo- A further object of the invention is to produce a simple andinexpensive device and yet one which will be exceedinglyeffective forthe purpose for which it is designed.

These objects I accomplish by means of such structure and relativearrangement of parts as will fully appear bya perusal of the followingspecification and claims.

'In the drawingssimilar characters of reference indicate correspondingparts in the several views: I r

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary side outline of a river freight boat showing theelevator structure installed thereon.

Fig. 2 is a transverse section taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1 showingone of the elevatorscooperating with a wharf gangway.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view showing the guideconnectionsbetween the elevator and its supporting derrick.

Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference onthedrawings, the

numeral 1 denotes in general a boat of the characterabove defined havinga main freight carrying deck 2. In the present instance the boatisalsoindicated as having a main superstructure 3 over the deck and anadditional freight housing 4 ahead of and spaced from thesuper-structure. The freight loading or unloading elevators are disposedbetween the super-structure and the housing, or at any de- I sired andconvenient point in the length of the vessel if it is of the plain bargetype without the super-structure.

The elevators of which there are two ar- I ranged toward the oppositesidesof the boat in transversely alined relation, each comprises anelevator platform 5 provided at its sides and centrally of its widthwith uprights 6 connected at their upper ends to the boat and its width,relative to the beam 95 of the vessel is such that there is aconsiderable space left between the two platforms as shown in Fig. 2.

The uprights are preferably in the form jessaryvisibility ofthenavigator ofthe craft. "of channels which face and engage rails 9mounted on the adjacent sides of the upright beams 10 of the supportingderrick as shown in Fig. 3. The derrick beams extend upwardly from thedeck of the boat to a height sufficient to permit of the raising of theelevator to whatever level may be necessary to cooperate with any wharfgangway. The beams 10 are braced by diagonal beams 11 which extendtransversely of the boat and are secured to the outer sides of saidbeams 10, so as to offer no interference with the trucking of freight onto or off either elevator from the space therebetween. The beams 10 areconnected and capped by spaced cross beams 12.

Mounted centrally between the beams 12 is a multiple sheave unit 13 anda similar unit 14 is mounted in a corresponding position between theelevator cross beams 7. hoisting cable 15 anchored at one end on thebeams 12 passes about the sheaves of these units alternately and thenover an idler sheave 16 mounted at one end of the beams 12. From thesheave 16 the cable passes down to and about another idler sheave 17mounted on the adjacent beam lO at a suitable level. From this sheavethe cable is conveyed to the drum of a suitable power winch indicated at18 and which is located in such position (preferably on top of thehousing 3 if such is present) that the operator has a commanding view ofthe elevators in any position. The winch is preferably of the doubleindependent drum type, there being one drum for the cable of eachelevator so thatone operator may control the movements of both elevatorsindependently.

The elevator platforms when in their lowest position rest on the deck 2of the boat, a

raised or false decking 19 being built up between the platforms so thatthe platforms and said decking are flush. Said false decking at bothends, or forward and aft of the elevators slopes down to a smoothjunction with the main deck as shown in Fig. 1. In thismanner smoothtrucking onto and off the platforms from the main deck is assured.

In operation the vessel may tie up to the wharf 20 with either sideagainst the wharf, and so that its gangway 21, if such is provided, isalined with the corresponding elevator; If the freight is to be unloadedfrom the boat the elevator is loaded, preferably with the aid of hand orsmall power trucks, the elevator is raised until it engages theoverhanging apron 22 of the gangway, and it is then'held stationaryuntil the freight is removed from the elevator and run up the gangwayonto the wharf. The elevator is then again lowered and the operationsare repeated. The range of possible vertical movement of the elevatorsis such that they may cooperate with the apron at any stage of the tideor regardless of the normal height of the wharf from the water linewithout having to set the apron at an excessive slope. Freight handlingoperations are therefore facilitated and expedited under all conditions.7

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that we haveproduced such a device as substantially fulfills the objects of theinvention as set forth herein.

WVhile this specification sets forth in detail the resent and preferredconstruction of the device, still in practice such deviations from suchdetail may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit ofthe invention, as defined by the ap ended claims.

Having thus descri ed our invention what we claim as new and useful anddesire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. An elevator structure for a boat comprising an elevator platformadapted when in its lowest position to rest on the freightcarrying deckof the vessel and its outer side edge lying adjacent one side of theboat, false decking laid on the boat deck to extend to and lie flushwith the platform when in said position, said decking sloping to asmooth junction with the boat deck some distance beyond the platform,and means mounted on the boat and connected to the platform to raise andlower the same at will.

2. An elevator structure for a boat comprising separate transverselyalined elevator platforms extending toward each other from adjacent theopposite sides of the boat, with their adjacent edges spaced somedistance from each other; said platforms when in their lowest positionlying on the deck of the boat, false decking between and flush with theplatforms and sloping lengthwise of the boat to a smooth junction withthe boat deck, and means to independently raise and lower the platforms.

3. An elevator structure for a boat comprising an elevator platformadapted when in its lowest position to rest on the freight carrying deckof the boat and its outer side edge lying adjacent one side of the boat,means connected to the platform to raise and lower the same at will, anda runway resting on the deck of the boat and sloping from and level withone edge of the platform other than that adjacent the side of the boatto a termination level with the deck a certain distance beyond theplatform.

4. An elevator structure for a boat comprising an elevator platformadapted when in its lowest position to rest on the freight carrying deckof the boat and its outer side edge lying adjacent one side of the boat,a

derrick mounted on the boat and comprising uprights disposed fore andaft of the platform and between which the platform extends and across-beam on top of the uprights; a crossbeam connected to the platformsome distance above the same, a hoist mounted a certain distance abovethe platform and spaced therefrom lengthwise of the boat, and a hoistingcable extending from the'hoist to the adjacent upright, then to the toof the upright and along the derrick crosslieam to a point centrally ofthe length thereof and then downwardly to a connection with the platformcrossheam, and direction changing pulleys over which the cable passes atpredetermined intervals.

In testimony whereof we aifix our signatures.

NORVINA. FAY. NAHUM FAY; V

